MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ) – The S.S. Badger car ferry made it’s first trip of the season to Manitowoc on Thursday, and the community came out to welcome her to town.
Mayor Justin Nickels was part of a packed port to welcome the S.S. Badger into town.
“Today really is, for Manitowoc, a symbolic of really the beginning of summer. The S.S. Badger car ferry really is a signature and staple Manitowoc,” he told WTAQ News. “I tell all of my other mayor friends around the state they don’t have something as cool as this. I’ve got this and a submarine just down the harbor too!”
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That crowd included the high school band, people just out to watch, and those looking to load up for a trip across Lake Michigan. Kevin Horton made it part of his trip as he drove up from southern Indiana.
“Oh, it was incredible. I got a good video of it coming in, and I never expected to see something the size of an ocean-liner in the Great Lakes but it’s pretty great!” Horton said. “It is really cool. I think the biggest surprise I had when I drove up was the excitement that everybody around here seems to have for it as well! Everybody seems to be invested in the first crossing of the year, so it’s pretty exciting.”
Meanwhile, Joyce Langer’s kids drove her down from Menominee, Michigan for the adventure.
“I used to see one of the older boats when it came to Menominee, Michigan. So I wanted to see this when we still have it running!” Langer said.
She’s been reading up and learning about the S.S. Badger for years. Now, it was officially time for her to board.
“Never been on the boat, never saw the boat before, so it’s a new experience for me and I’m anxious to get started. I know there’s not much too see, but it is just nice being on the boat and meeting other people around, watching, and just enjoying a boat ride,” Langer said. “It’s going to be special. This is a once in a lifetime thing and I’m going to enjoy it, I know. It must be pretty darned great if I’ve waited 90 years to get on it!”
Even with the nerves and excitement of her first encounter with the Badger, there was one thing, just one, she seemingly wanted more than the ride.
“Being on a coal boat, that’s special,” she said.
“Because it’s coal fire!” one of her daughter said.
“We’ve got to get a piece of coal…” another daughter said, before being cut off by Langer’s excitement.
“I want a piece of coal!” Langer exclaimed. “Someone gave me a piece of coal and it was painted with shellack or something, and I said ‘No, I want one where you can pick the dust off of it!'”
While we haven’t yet found out whether she got that coal, we did talk to someone who might be able to fulfill that request. Mark Barker is the president of Interlake Maritime Services, which owns the ferry.
“I think it’s cool to open the day on any day, but it’s really nice that we have incredible weather today. But it’s always exciting to get a boat that’s tied up for the winter, especially one like the Badger, to get it up and running and see the people…To come to Manitowoc, and even leaving Ludington, the excitement around it from each community is just not something that’s unexplainable. It’s really special and it’s really cool to be a part of,” Barker said. “It really give you the satisfaction of doing something, right? Something meaningful, with connecting communities, moving goods, getting people to where they need to go. So it’s fun and it’s exciting and it’s special.”
Barker says the initial voyage to Manitowoc was successful, and the passengers walking off the ferry agreed.
“It was gorgeous, we loved it,” said Mike White. “It’s pretty cool and everybody is lovely. The staff is wonderful.”
“It’s a lot better than going down to Chicago and beating traffic. I’ve been doing this since 2007,” Mark Anderson said. “Flawlessly and smooth, no waves. I’ve been on there with ten-foot waves before.”
Anderson and his wife, Heather, have homes on both sides of the lake. They made sixteen trips on the ferry just last year.
“The people are very friendly they always make you feel welcome, the people that work on the boat. I’ve never had a bad experience on it,” Heather added.
That experience then transitions into their plans in Wisconsin. Whether they’re sticking around Manitowoc or heading to Door County, Visit Manitowoc Social and Special Events Coordinator Erika Christel says it makes a huge economic impact.
“We are a city of 33,000 people, yet this ship has the capacity of bringing over 260,000 people a year. So it is super important to our local restaurants, our attractions, and just the well-being of everyone here in Manitowoc,” Christel told WTAQ News. “A lot of people don’t realize just how much of an entry point Manitowoc is for Wisconsin, and [there are] just so many wonderful community members happy that this ship is making its rounds again.”
The crew hustled to get semis, utility vehicles, and personal vehicles off of the ferry. The work continued as they drove the new ones, like the Wisconsin Model A club, on board.
Once the final vehicle was loaded up, the ferry cast off across the Manitowoc breakwater and back to Ludington for it’s first return trip of the summer.
You can plan your trip at SSBadger.com.
The S.S. Badger departs from Manitowoc for the first return to Ludington, Michigan in 2022. (Photo: Casey Nelson WTAQ News)
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